Today I am wrapping up my series of the early offseason additions for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This article will look at wide receiver Allen Robinson II’s run blocking grades from Pro Football Focus (PFF) in the 2021 season, his final campaign with the Chicago Bears, following my 2021 receiving, along with 2022 receiving and run blocking articles on him. I’ll also include Pittsburgh’s primary receivers in 2021, see how they stacked up across the league, and compare this information to last season as well.
Here are wide receivers’ run blocking snaps (minimum of 200) and their PFF run block grades from the 2021 season:
Robinson II had the least run snaps of the focused players (231) which ranked 50th out of the 64 qualifying players in 12 games played, suffering a hamstring injury mid-season that ironically came against Pittsburgh. He had a 57.9 run block grade that year (31st) which landed slightly above the NFL mean, compared to his much better 68.9 run block grade in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams, which ranked ninth in the entire NFL last season. This is an encouraging improvement that he can hopefully provide for the black and gold, which would be huge considering the Steelers have been missing that skillset at the slot receiver position, where Robinson II is projected to play primarily. Here’s to hoping he can do just that and stay healthy, considering he also dealt with an injury last season, a foot injury that required surgery and limited him to 10 games in 2022.
The results for Pittsburgh’s 2021 receivers were stronger than I expected, with Diontae Johnson leading the focused players in both data points. He had a 64.5 run block grade in 2021 that ranked 10th in the NFL in 2021, on 327 run snaps (14th). Probably higher than expected if you watch the Steelers regularly, but the way PFF grades receivers as run blockers is very important to define:
“If a receiver is far enough from a run play that their block has no effect on the play, they are not given a PFF run-blocking grade. For example, if an offense runs power, a concept designed to hit between the guard and tackle, and goes for three yards, then whatever the receiver did as a blocker didn’t matter and they don’t receive a grade.”
This is very important context, and whether or not we agree in this aspect of their grading, it does shed light on the strong quality in PFF’s eyes from Johnson on runs to his area. He also fared well according to PFF in this regard last season, with a 63.5 run block grade that ranked slightly lower at 14th, on 376 run snaps (12th). Run blocking to his area the last two seasons deserves props, and hopefully, he can continue to provide in 2023.
Former Steeler Chase Claypool also fared well in 2021, above the mean in both, particularly with a 60.7 run block grade (24th) on 283 run snaps (T-28th) which was slightly above the NFL mean. An important takeaway from my 2022 article was on George Pickens, who was below the mean in both, which was surprising considering his strong reputation, and highlight reel blocks from his 2022 rookie campaign. His 48.3 run block grade (on 260 run snaps) highlights these blocks coming more away from the play, and really hoping to see Pickens be more impactful on runs to his area, which I am hopeful can improve with his strong overall abilities.
Overall, the outlook for the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver room should be able to provide improved play in many regards in 2023 in my opinion, including run blocking. Robinson II’s addition, at least on paper, should be a welcomed upgrade overall, primarily at the slot position where he’s expected to play the most. Hopefully, this fills a huge void positionally from the 2022 season. Knock on wood the position room can have a great season as run blockers this year, which would be huge for the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers that have invested heavily in the offensive line and built their identity as a run-first team, which hopefully pays dividends. One thing’s for sure, I can’t wait to see how the Steelers fare this season, and the running game is definitely no exception.
What are your thoughts on the data and the position group for the 2023 season? Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
